''Funny Aminals'' is a 1972 single-issue anthology
underground comic
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...
book created by
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...
and a collection of other artists. The work is notable for containing the first published version of
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel '' Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade'' and '' Ra ...
's ''
Maus'', though the version that ran in ''Funny Aminals'' was aesthetically and thematically different from the series Spiegelman would publish in
Raw Magazine
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
and as a standalone book.
Publication history
Apex Novelties
The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to:
Arts and media Fictional entities
* Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe
* Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe
*Apex ...
published the book in July 1972, and it had one print run of an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 copies.
The book was initially formulated by
Terry Zwigoff
Terry Zwigoff (born May 18, 1949) is an American filmmaker whose work often deals with misfits, antiheroes, and themes of alienation. He first garnered attention for his work in documentary filmmaking with ''Louie Bluie'' (1985) and '' Crumb'' ( ...
after a scarring visit to a slaughterhouse as an anti-animal cruelty book, but the submitted stories departed from that narrative line. Zwigoff later relinquished all editorial control over the comic.
Contents
Reception
Underground comix database Comixjoint gave ''Funny Aminals'' a 9/10 ranking, calling the writing "solid" and the illustrations "exceptional", adding a four-star historical bonus for ''Maus''.
Summarizing his review, writer Steven Fox wrote "''Funny Aminals'' is an uneven book, but its review score (especially the writing score) is boosted by "Maus", which also gets credit for the book's historical bonus. And if Crumb hadn't contributed his crafty penmanship and bawdy humor, even "Maus" wouldn't have been enough to earn ''Funny Aminals'' the total score of "9" I begrudgingly bestowed upon it".
References
{{reflist
1972 comics debuts
1972 comics endings
One-shot comic titles
Comics by Robert Crumb
Comics by Art Spiegelman
Underground comix